Spotify launches free music streaming for iOS and Android

It was hinted at a short while ago (here to be precise) but it is now official, Spotify users can now stream music for free on the iOS and Android apps, but not Windows Phone yet. This now brings the apps in line with the desktop version of the app.

The free version will still have adverts in it every few songs but they are less frequent and less invasive than the ones on normal commercial radio stations, or so Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says. It isn’t full listening on demand like the Premium version rather you can choose a track or playlist and then listen to a shuffled stream of songs in a similar way to the Spotify radio service, if you don’t like a song then you have 6 skips to use per hour.

The tablet version of the app is a little bit different and works the same way as the desktop version so you can choose to listen to specific songs and albums without the app adding in extra songs that it thinks are similar to the ones selected.

As an added bonus Spotify also announced that Led Zepplin will now be available as part of their streaming service, the first time they have been available to stream, previously you could just buy their tracks on Apple and Android.

The new versions are available now so check for updates or head over to the iTunes store (here) or Android Play store (here) to download them if you’re interested.

Music for everyone – Spotify now free on mobile and tablet

December 11, 2013

The best free music experience in the history of the smartphone. Available now

Spotify now available in 55 markets

From today, Spotify gives you access to millions of songs across your mobile devices for free. Listen to all your playlists, discover new music, or simply sit back and dig into your favourite artist’s entire back catalogue. And with Spotify launching in 20 new markets today, it’s never been easier for more people across the world to discover and play more great music.

Available to all today – Spotify’s new free mobile experience lets you shuffle play:

Your music: Listen to all the playlists you’ve created and playlists from the people you follow. Spotify lets you discover new music, save, shuffle and share.

Your favourite artists: Want to listen to a certain artist? Just hit shuffle play, sit back and listen to their entire catalogue. Don’t settle for something similar. Don’t settle for just one track from the artist you want to hear every 20 minutes.

Discover great new playlists: Going for a jog or to the gym? We’ve got the playlist to help you go the extra mile. We know you just want the perfect music for a specific moment in time – and we’ve got you covered. There’s something for every mood, genre or moment.

We also know how much our users love to use their tablets for music at home. Unlike mobile devices, it turns out that tablets are becoming the new desktops. Tablets are where people lean in, search and build playlists.

So, starting today, iOS and Android tablet users can enjoy the same great free Spotify experience that they’ve grown to love on their computer. Any song or album, on-demand at your fingertips.

“Today we’re giving people the best free music experience in the history of the smartphone and the tablet,” said Daniel Ek, CEO & Founder at Spotify. “Whether you’re going to the gym, or having a party with friends. Just sit back and let Spotify serve you great music for every moment of your life.”

Spotify Premium continues to offer the ultimate listening experience with on-demand, ad-free access to your music in high quality, offline mode and effortless control of your home audio with Spotify Connect. Spotify is also available in its ad-supported, free version on all devices.

Spotify is available to iOS and Android users right now, and can be downloaded in the App Store and Google Play.

Did we mention it’s free?

About Spotify

Spotify is an award-winning digital music service that gives you on-demand access to over 20 million tracks. Our dream is to make all the world’s music available instantly to everyone, wherever and whenever they want it. Spotify makes it easier than ever to discover, manage and share music with your friends, while making sure that artists get a fair deal.

Since its launch in Sweden in 2008, Spotify has driven more than a billion US dollars to rights holders. Spotify is already the second biggest source of digital music revenue for labels in Europe (IFPI, 2011) and the biggest and most successful music streaming service of its kind globally.